The Energy Blog

Hannover Messe 2014 - High hopes for hydrogen

The principle of Electrolysis has been known for decades but PEM electrolysis is an important new technology for the production of hydrogen as an energy carrier. This form of energy is particularly useful for energy storage when used in conjunction with renewable energy sources because it is extremely clean. The technology can be used to help stabilize grids in the face of increased demand or fluctuation in supply of highly weather-dependent wind or solar energy. It also has application in the refueling of fuel cell vehicles, or for industrial processes and applications such as refineries.

“What is really new is the scale on which we plan to employ this power-to-gas technology,” said Mrs. Gaelle Hotellier, Head of Hydrogen Solutions at Siemens during her talk at the Siemens Future Forum at the Hannover Messe. “Our First large scale system comes to market in 2015.”

“We see hydrogen as a key component in the energy infrastructure of the future. Why? Because Hydrogen offers the advantage of being a multi-purpose energy vector. It is multi-use, highly flexible and helps bridge current energy forms.

“It offers industry the ability to optimize energy usage and significantly reduce their CO2 footprint. In addition PEM Electrolysis is a highly disruptive technology that makes it a lot easier for new players to move into the field of energy production,” she said.

“Additionally, hydrogen is an important piece of the puzzle for the introduction of fuel cell tech in mobility. In combination with power from renewable sources, it’s CO2 free across its whole production chain. And hydrogen also offers quite a number of advantages to the electro mobility applications such as fast refueling and longer driving range,” said Mrs. Hotellier.

In conclusion, Mrs Hotellier said: “Most of all it will help make the energy infrastructure of the future a lot more flexible, because it opens new utilization paths outside the grid for the renewable electricity produced, and hydrogen can then be easily created and stored until the moment it is needed to buffer system requirements.”